Hospitals worried about readmissions should focus on nearby nursing homes’ pressure ulcer stats,...
By
Tim Mullaney
Apr 11, 2014
Out of various quality measures, pressure ulcer prevalence in particular predicts whether a nursing home will readmit residents to the hospital, according to newly published findings in HSR: Health Services...
Direct-care workers may be best leaders of interdisciplinary senior care teams, expert tells LTC Commission
By
Tim Mullaney
Aug 22, 2013
The Congressional Commission on Long-Term Care met for its fourth public hearing Tuesday and focused on service delivery and workforce issues.
Former nursing home aide writes powerful poems
By
Tim Mullaney
Jan 07, 2014
Janice N. Harrington worked as a nursing home aide in college, and she drew on that experience to write “The Hands of Strangers: Poems from the Nursing Home.” This book-length collection of...
Nursing homes tend to administer high-risk medications to returning residents, study shows
By
Tim Mullaney
Sep 12, 2014
Nursing homes may be ratcheting up high-risk medication use for certain residents who return to the facility after a stay in the hospital, according to recently published findings.
Long-term care groups applaud a pause in Medicare audits, urge permanent changes
By
Tim Mullaney
Feb 21, 2014
Long-term care stakeholders are praising the government’s decision to temporarily pause the recovery audit contractor program, which is associated with a huge backlog of Medicare claims appeals.
Department of Labor extends minimum wage to home health workers
By
Tim Mullaney
Sep 18, 2013
The Department of Labor has announced it will extend minimum wage and overtime protections to home health workers providing direct care, earning cheers from long-time advocates of this policy.
Ruling: No penalties mean no chance to appeal rating
By
Tim Mullaney
Jun 01, 2013
Nursing homes that dispute a deficiency citation without Immediate Jeopardy and want it stricken from the public record should consider withholding a plan of correction, a recent court ruling suggests.
Long-term care liability costs expected to increase 5%
By
Tim Mullaney
Nov 14, 2014
Long-term care providers should prepare for higher liability costs, which are anticipated to increase by 5% on a national basis in 2015, according to an analysis released Thursday by the American Health...
Nursing home workers could better communicate with family over ‘gray area’ decisions during...
By
Tim Mullaney
Apr 01, 2014
Even with advance directives in place, family members making decisions for end-stage dementia patients struggle with the trajectory of the condition, suggests a small study out of Virginia Commonwealth...
Hospital admission rates show need for new nursing home quality measure , OIG and CMS say
By
Tim Mullaney
Nov 20, 2013
One in four nursing home residents on Medicare was hospitalized in 2011, costing the program $14.3 billion, according to a new report from the Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector...